Wichita Eagle photographer Travis Heying captured these images of the northern lights, also called aurora borealis, on Friday night near the Marion and Chase County line.
For comparison, here’s a photo Travis took of the same farmhouse in 2021.
The northern lights
The northern lights occur when the sun’s energized particles come in contact with the Earth’s upper atmosphere at a very fast speed. Earth’s magnetic field protects the planet from the onslaught, according to Space.com.
The colors and brightness of the lights depend on the atmosphere’s chemical composition.
Auroras have a variety of colors — pink, green, blue, purple and yellow, to name a few.
The lights are usually the most visible in the “auroral zone,” which is in about a 1,550 mile radius of the North Pole, but solar storms can make the lights move farther south.
Contributing: Lindsay Smith of The Eagle